Someone Special
by InfinityStar
Summary: He'd always told her he couldn't be her daddy. Now how does he tell her he was wrong?
1. Freedom of the Heart

**A/N: Well, here it is, the one everyone has been asking for. Enjoy!**

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_Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a daddy.  
---author unknown_

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_Detective, your husband is not this child's father._

He heard Ricky's shout of rage and immediately bolted for the front of the courtroom. Waters ran right into him and he had no trouble restraining him. It gave him great satisfaction to tell the bastard: "You will never touch her again."

"I should have killed you when I had the chance."

He watched the bailiffs drag Waters from the courtroom before he turned away. His eye caught hers and he hesitated briefly before he returned to his seat. _Detective, your husband is not this child's father._ His first reaction to the judge's announcement was surprise, followed by a murky confusion as his mind stumbled over the words, failing to process them.

_...not this child's father..._

If not Ricky, then who? What the hell did it mean? Could the lab have been wrong? And if not, then who could Maggie's father be? The judge's voice cut through his confusion. "I see from the latest amendment to your petition that you are currently pregnant again.."

His eyes widened and he searched for a reaction from her. He saw the subtle stiffening of her back as she answered, "Yes, sir."

Nothing else registered beyond the fact that he couldn't breathe. "I, uh...I...need some air," he muttered into Logan's ear. Before Logan could reply, Goren was gone.

He got to the park and just walked, trying to calm himself and get his jumbled thoughts into some kind of order. First, he had to get a handle on his emotions. _Your husband is not this child's father._ Those few words had his head spinning. If Ricky wasn't her father, then who was? He didn't even have any potential candidates. _Okay, Goren...first things first. Ricky isn't her father. Does it really matter who is? It's not him. _

He looked around, wondering vaguely if he was talking to himself. If he didn't pay a little more attention he'd end up pacing himself right into a tree. His head was spinning enough. But he couldn't get away from it...who could her father be?

_She looks so much like you, son..._

He'd dismissed his mother's comments as the wishful thinking of a woman who wanted terribly to be a grandmother. He felt badly that it was something he would never be able to give her. Just what he needed: more guilt. He never once thought that she was seriously trying to tell him something, to give him something that wasn't laced with pain.

He pulled out his wallet as he sat down on a bench. Opening it, he studied the picture of Maggie that looked up at him with those warm, dark eyes. A Logan candid, his specialty. He couldn't help smiling. She was laughing, and her brown curls had bounced down into her eyes. He felt an urge to brush them away and he let his fingers stray across the front of the picture. He had never before seen himself in her face. Her dark eyes, he thought, came from Ricky. The curls, well, Alex's mom and two of her brothers had curly hair, and two of her siblings were dark-haired, as was Ricky. Her sometimes quirky little mannerisms, he always assumed, came from spending so much time with him. It wasn't unreasonable to assume she had picked up some of his mannerisms. He'd never once thought them genetic. Why would he? Now, looking back over her life...the cues were there, had he chosen to see them. As much as he wanted Maggie to be his child, one very real thing had always kept him from ever hoping it could be true, no matter what his mother said. He had never slept with Eames. Even now, he couldn't get past that one minor detail. How on earth could she possibly be his daughter, when she had been two the first time he'd ever slept with her mother?

And now...pregnant again...this time, he had no doubt, with his child. He had always loved her, since the early days of their partnership, always felt there was time for...well, for them. Then she'd married Ricky and the bottom fell out of his world, until Maggie was born. Although he had always avoided putting them in a situation he would regret, he knew that all she had to do was push it. And she did—twice. He hadn't been wrong. His moral resolve had crumbled, as he knew it would in the face of pressure from her.

The first time came after an emotionally devastating week. He had no capacity, and no desire, to turn her away that night. The chain of events that followed finally allowed her to leave Waters. The severe beating he had taken at the hands of Waters and three of his friends had been worth it, in his mind, because it was what Eames needed to leave him. That felony assault had earned Ricky a cell in Rikers, where he would never be able to hurt Maggie. With the threat to the little girl gone, Eames could finally step away from the nightmare marriage—and into his arms.

Even after she left Ricky, though, he still could not get past the fact that, until her divorce was final, she was still married. Logan continually gave him a hard time about it, encouraging him to go ahead and sleep with her. But he couldn't, until the night she'd had enough and pressed the matter...the night this baby she now carried within her was conceived. _His_ baby. He still could not wrap his mind around that concept. He had long ago resigned himself to the fact that he would never be a father, and now, in just a few months, he _would_ be a father.

But Maggie..his mind kept returning to the question of who her father could be. It wasn't that it mattered to him because, regardless of who had conceived her, he loved her as though she were his own, and he always had. Her paternity had absolutely no bearing to his heart. Only one thing concerned him. Whoever her father was, if he wanted a place in her life, that was fine, but suppose he wanted to take her out of his life? There again was his greatest fear—losing Maggie. If he had to, he was willing to give up everything else in his life, even the woman he adored, in order not to lose Maggie. He racked his brain, but he couldn't think of any potential candidates, if it wasn't Waters. To the best of his knowledge, he and Logan were the only men she hung around with. He hadn't slept with her...and Logan...wait, Logan? No...no, Logan wouldn't. And looking at Maggie's features, no, he couldn't see any of Logan's features in her. But he did see himself, and that puzzled the hell out of him. How could he possibly have conceived a child and had no memory of the act? And that was one act he'd have thought he'd remember. He dreamed about it enough.

He got up, slid his wallet into his pocket and continued walking, searching in vain for a memory that just was not there. When his head started swimming again, he sat back down, and that was where she found him. She sat down, but she left him alone, waiting for him to say something. Finally, he voiced his biggest question. "She's mine?"

"Of course she's yours."

"But when…?"

She looked confused. "Your birthday…that was the only time…"

His birthday? Three years ago...he remembered playing pool, and then they went to Logan's because his place was in walking distance. He remembered that she was very playful that night, in a really good mood, and that had made his night. He had almost been able to forget his pain...almost. He did remember how drunk he'd gotten..._let's play for shots_... Sometimes he wondered about Logan. Eames had him so distracted he couldn't sink a ball to save his life, which Logan loved. But all he remembered after leaving Delaney's was part of the walk to Logan's. He'd been confused about why he'd woken in the bed..._oh_... _That_ was why...son of a gun...Logan had to have known. He was seriously going to kick his ass when he recovered from this. Slowly he shook his head. "I don't remember."

She raised her eyebrows. She did remember, very clearly, what had happened, and how much she had longed for him after that night. Not long after that night, she'd made up her mind to leave Ricky...until she discovered she was pregnant, presumably with Ricky's child. After all, what were the odds that the baby was Bobby's after just one encounter? "What do you mean you don't remember? You weren't _that_ drunk."

_Oh, yes, I was_. He looked at her, suddenly irritated, and snapped, "I mean I don't remember." He sighed, turning away. It wasn't entirely her fault. After all, it took two to make a baby, and if he lacked the discipline to control himself and say no when he had to—which he obviously did—_shit_... "Did you know?"

"Not for sure."

She really had believed Maggie was Ricky's, but from the earliest moments of her life, there were times when it had been so easy for her to imagine that she was Bobby's. But those had just been imaginings. She had never honestly considered that her little girl was not her husband's daughter.

His voice carried an odd tone. "But you suspected?"

Not so much suspected as wanted, but she had to be honest with him. "Since the day she was born."

"And you never said anything."

An accusation. "What would you want me to say? Would it have changed anything? Would you love her any more?"

He shook his head. But that wasn't the point his brain got stuck on. Eames had stayed with Ricky to protect Maggie, so she had to have honestly believed Maggie was his child. If there had been a chance that she wasn't, a simple test would have freed her from that fear and enabled her to leave him. One night, one encounter, one time...compared with, well, her _husband_...her assumption had been entirely reasonable. Even if he'd remembered, he would have agreed with her. He turned his mind away from those thoughts; they weren't going to get him anywhere. His restless mind shifted. "You're pregnant again?"

"Yes."

"And you're sure it's mine?"

"Who else's would it be, Goren? Don't be stupid."

_Stupid...fathering two children with another man's wife...oh, it didn't get more stupid than that._ "No. I've already been stupid." He buried his head in his hands. "How did we let this happen?"

Her hand touched his arm, but he pulled away. "No." Touching led to trouble.

"Is this really such a bad thing?"

He felt something snap inside and all reason and sensibility vanished on the breeze. He looked at her, angry and hurt. "How can you ask that? You were married, Eames. It's one thing to cheat on your husband, but now the world knows about it. Damn…"

He got up and walked off, relieved that she let him go. If she had come after him, as keyed up as he was, anger could very easily have turned the corner, away from the negative, and yielded to passion...but he wasn't ready for that just yet. Right now, he had to work through this anger to avoid resentment. He'd been down that path before, and he hated it.

Why was he angry? Did he feel deceived? No, that wasn't it. He was angry because he cared what people thought of her more than she did. He knew of which he spoke, and the thought of anyone looking at her with anything less than respect made him see red. Unable to settle down, he pulled out his phone and called Logan. He answered on the second ring. "You okay, man?"

"I'm not sure."

"We're at Kelsey's Bar. Come on over."

"I'm having a hard time calming down."

Logan hesitated. He didn't quite understand that, but he never fully understood Goren. He just accepted him. "Come on over, Bobby. I can always knock you upside the head, if all else fails." When Goren softly laughed, he relaxed. He was going to be okay. "Come on."

"I'll be there in a little while."

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He felt better after talking to Logan and Barek, but he wouldn't feel right until he talked to Eames. He half-expected to feel his tension increase when she got there, but when she slid into the booth beside him, he looked at her and felt his unease melt away. His anger was long gone; he was calm now.

Tentatively, she reached toward him and when her hand came to rest on his arm, he did not pull away. _I was angry at the position I let myself put you in. _Her voice was soft. "You did not put me into any kind of situation I didn't want to be in."

He didn't agree, but he was not going to argue the point. That would be futile. Instead, he nodded toward her stomach. "How far along are you?"

"Almost eight weeks."

"When did you find out?"

"Early last week."

"That was a hell of a way to tell me," he complained.

"I didn't mean for it to happen that way. I wasn't sure how to tell you, and I was so angry when I filed my response to the last pre-hearing motion he fabricated the other day, I forgot I had put that in it, until the judge read it. I'm really sorry about that."

"When did you plan to tell me?"

"Sometime this weekend."

"Were you going to get him drunk first?" Logan asked.

"I'd thought about it." She looked at Goren. "I also thought about letting Maggie tell you."

He was silent for a moment. She was afraid to tell him she was pregnant with his baby. Well, considering how he had reacted...he laughed. Pulling her into a hug, he gently kissed her and teased, "Coward."

* * *

He unlocked the apartment door and pushed it open, letting her proceed into the apartment ahead of him. Closing the door, he engaged the deadbolt. Dinner together, with Logan and Barek, had been the most relaxed time he could remember having with her in a long time. He still felt a certain tension, but it was very different now than it had ever been.

After two beers, his mind got stuck on a single thought. She was now free. Her marriage was dissolved. And her freedom gave him a collateral freedom--the freedom to love her without guilt. While the hearing had raised some issues with him, they were now cleared up and he could look at her with new eyes. Now, he could look at her without longing and without pain. Now he could simply love her.

He stepped up behind her and slid his hands onto her abdomen. "There's really someone in there?"

She nodded. "Someone as completely yours as Maggie is."

She knew that got him thinking. The gentle caressing of his hands stopped and his cheek rested against her head. She leaned back into him, taking great comfort from the contact. His arms tightened around her and he leaned down to kiss her neck, lightly nibbling the gentle curve where her neck and shoulder met. She tipped her head to the right to give him easier access and he took full advantage of the invitation.

_Someone as completely his as Maggie was..._ His thoughts began roaming until she leaned into him, then they returned to her. And for the second time that day she sent his head spinning, but this time it served to fuel his passion, not to distress him. She was free and now, so was he.


	2. Reassurance

It had been a busy day and Goren carried his sleeping toddler up to his apartment. He had always cherished every moment he got to spend with Maggie, and he worked hard to suppress anything he felt about her mother's absence from their outings. Most of the time, when Maggie was with him, Eames was with Ricky. Now he was having to readjust everything because when he spent time with Maggie, Eames was there, too.

He waited while she unlocked the apartment and he followed her in. Carrying the baby into the bedroom, he laid her in her bed, pulling off her shoes and covering her with her favorite blanket. He kissed her softly and left the room.

In the living room, Eames was looking at a picture she had never seen before. "Where did you get this?"

"Logan gave it to me."

It was a picture of her and Maggie, playing in the grass in her father's backyard. "I've never seen it before."

"I know."

"When did you put it out here?"

"Yesterday."

"Where was it before then?"

"In the nightstand next to my bed."

She set it back on the bookshelf and walked over to him. Without hesitation, she stepped into him and wrapped her arms around his waist. It felt good to be able to do this, finally. He hugged her back and kissed the top of her head. "Um, I need to tell you something, Eames."

"Go ahead."

"I'm going to get a bigger apartment."

She kept her head resting against his chest. "Okay."

"I have a friend who offered me a good deal on a three bedroom not far from here. I, uh, I told him I'd take it."

"A bedroom for each of the kids."

He'd spoken to his friend Friday night, after the divorce hearing. He had no control over whether Eames was going to stay with him or not, though he hoped she would, but he had two children to provide for now, children who would always be there, always be his. "Yes."

She let her fingers caress his skin just above his belt. "For now, I am going to stay at Dad's."

"I didn't mean anything..."

She tightened her arms around him. "I know. I just want to give you time, and I need time, too, so I can adjust. I don't want to rush anything, and it has nothing to do with how much I love you."

"It's fine. Take your time. Just promise me you won't run off and get married again."

She gave him another squeeze. "I'll tell you what, Goren. I won't marry anyone unless Maggie approves of him first."

"It's a deal. I guess that pretty much narrows your field down to me and Logan."

She laughed. "Pretty much...and I have no plans to marry Mike."

He placed a finger under her chin and tipped her face up toward his. "Does that mean you do have plans to marry me?" he whispered.

She answered him with a kiss, and it was all the answer he needed.

* * *

He held her close, committing to memory the taste of her kisses, the sweet scent of sweat on her skin, the feel of her body pressed against his, the sound of her deep even breathing, the welcome sight of her perfect body laying naked in his bed. So this was what happiness was. He could get used to it. 

She shifted in her sleep, snuggling closer with a sigh that reassured him. She seemed happy and content. And yet, in spite of his own contentment, he couldn't sleep. His hand roamed over her abdomen, coming to rest on the gentle, barely noticeable swell where his baby grew within her. _His_ baby. That still filled him with awe. As his fingers absently caressed her, his mind turned to Maggie. He missed her, even though he knew she was fine at her grandfather's. But they had a very early day tomorrow, so she stayed with him while they stayed in Manhattan.

His mind went back to dinner that evening. It was his task to tell Maggie that he was her father, and he was working up to that. He wanted to do it just right. So he told Eames it was her job to tell her about the baby. He only hoped he did as well when his time came to tell her what he had to say.

During dessert, Eames had stirred Maggie's pudding for her and asked, "Maggie, what would you think about having a baby?"

"A baby what, Mommy?"

Goren almost choked on his pie and Eames gave him a look that said he could wait in the car if he couldn't behave. He found himself hoping his talk with the little girl went better. Eames hid her own amusement and turned her attention back to Maggie. "A baby brother or sister."

She looked thoughtful and Eames wondered how she ever could have missed her resemblance to her father. "A baby would be okay, but I think I'd like a puppy more."

Goren had to take a walk after that. When he came back to the table, Eames said, "Maggie has decided this baby is hers."

He nodded. "That's a good thing. She can teach him to fetch when he's a little older and she won't need a puppy."

Eames threw a look at him and said, "Don't give her any ideas, Goren."

"I don't have to. She gets plenty all on her own."

"Well, don't help her."

He was glad it had gone so well, and his thoughts returned to Maggie's paternity. When Ricky had demanded paternity testing, he had been furious. Eames had asked him if he would go with her to take Maggie to the lab to have her blood drawn, and he hadn't thought twice about it. He held her in his lap and distracted her while the technician did his job. He had been confident it was a waste of time and angry that Ricky would doubt Alex's fidelity. But when the results came back, he didn't know what to think, what to feel...until his mind finally grasped what the test results meant. Maggie was forever safe from Ricky Waters. And since Maggie was the only existing link between Eames and Waters, that meant that Eames was free of him as well. That was all that really mattered, until he started trying to figure out who Maggie's real father was. He still had trouble comprehending that he was that man.

He was so deeply lost in thought he didn't notice that she was awake until she kissed him, teasing his lips with her tongue and stirring a response from him. "What are you thinking about?" she whispered.

"Did she ever tell you that she wanted me to be her daddy?"

"Yes. She thought I could fix it."

He nodded. "Same here."

"She's been wanting that since she was old enough to understand what it meant. She never took to Ricky."

"I can't blame her. He never gave her a reason to. But what concerns me is that all this time I've been telling her that it wasn't something I could fix. Now—how do I tell her I was wrong? I don't want her thinking I have ever been dishonest with her, or that I didn't want to be her father. I-I don't know how to explain this to her."

"Did I ever tell you that you think too much? Just tell her. She'll be fine."

"And what do I say when she asks me why I never told her before. The world is a much simpler place for her than it is for us. She sees black and white. She hasn't learned to see the shades of gray in between yet. She won't understand."

"What's to understand? You are making this a lot more difficult than it is. All she's going to understand is that she has wanted you to be her daddy for as long as she can remember, and now you are. That's all she's going to care about. She hasn't learned to analyze things to death the way you do."

"You really think I'm worrying too much?"

"Absolutely. Just tell her, Bobby. She's going to be fine...and so will you."

"I want to do this right. I don't want to just blurt it out."

"You are going to do fine."

He tipped his head forward to look at her in the dim light that filtered in through the window. "You will be there, won't you?"

"If you want me to, yes."

He settled his head back and sighed in relief. She laughed and poked his ribs. "Glad you think this is funny, Eames."

"Actually, I do. I know you are worrying for nothing."

"Thank God I won't have to do this with the baby."

She snuggled her body closer, enjoying the feel of her skin against his. Her fingertips lightly grazed his chest and he shuddered. "Go to sleep, Bobby, and stop worrying. Maggie adores you. She's two...all she'll care about is that she's getting her way, which should come as no surprise to her since it's coming from you."

"Very funny. And she'll be three on Sunday."

"I stand corrected. Go to sleep."

He nuzzled her forehead. "I'm not tired."

She laughed and turned her face up toward his for a kiss. "I guess I'll have to wear you out, then."

"I dare you to try it."

"I accept the challenge."

She slid her body up onto his and kissed him, and eventually, he did go to sleep.


	3. Weekend Plans

Afternoons around the squad room were unpredictable. Sometimes they were bustling with activity; other times they almost seemed to stand still. Rarely was there a happy medium. Goren leaned over Logan's desk and grabbed the paper clip chain from his hands. "Hey, give that back. I've got 96 clips on that chain." 

"Going for a hundred?"

"What time is it? One-thirty. Maybe by five I can have a thousand. Of course, I may need to start raiding desks." He pulled open the drawer in front of him. "Yeah—no way there's another nine hundred paper clips in here."

"Deakins will be pleased to see you putting your time to such good use." He handed Logan a slip of paper. "I won't be around tomorrow night so you're on your own. Try not to get into trouble."

"Who me? I only get into trouble anymore with you." He opened the paper as he said, "Celebrating the one-week anniversary of her freedom?"

Goren laughed. "Not quite. I have something else in mind."

"Directions?" Logan questioned, looking at the paper in his hands. "Directions to where?"

"Shh. Eames doesn't know. It's a surprise. You know what Sunday is, don't you?"

"Of course. How could I forget my best girl's birthday?"

"Okay, well, that's where she'll be."

Logan sighed. "You're a pain in the ass."

"I know. But I have something important to do and I want to do it right."

"Like what?"

"I have to tell Maggie that I'm her father."

Logan leaned back in his chair and studied his best friend. "I'd love to be a fly on the wall for that talk."

"I'm nervous enough; I don't need an audience."

"Nervous about what? Telling the baby something she's been dying to hear? I'd be all over that...a chance to talk to a woman without getting smacked for saying the wrong thing."

Goren frowned. "She's not a woman. She's a baby."

"She's female, Bobby. Everything we say is the wrong thing to them."

"Not Maggie."

"Not yet. Just wait. Although...with you, it may never get to that point."

Goren sighed. "Am I ready for this?"

"For what?"

"Being a father."

"First of all, ready or not, here it is. Secondly, what's changed? You've always been her daddy. Only now she can _call_ you Daddy. Though, if you ask me, she should have been calling you that all along."

Goren looked suspicious as he leaned against the desk. "What are you talking about? Did you know?"

"No more than you did. But if you think about what a father is, or should be, to a kid, you have always been that to her. Getting the paternity testing was simply a technicality." He looked back at the directions on the paper in his hand. "Where the hell is this?"

"Connecticut."

"You gotta be kidding me. Why are you dragging us out of state for this?"

"It's not about you, Mike, and you don't have to come."

"Oh, bullshit. I'm not going to miss her birthday and you know it. I'll be there if I have to walk, and with the way my car's been running lately I might just have to do that."

"Get a ride with Barek."

"Why can't you do anything the way regular people do? You know, take her to _Chuck E. Cheese_ or something."

Goren smiled. "As you are so fond of pointing out, Mike, I'm not normal." He tossed the paper clip chain back to him. "Eames and I have the day off tomorrow; I just cleared it with Deakins. I'll see you on Sunday. If Alex wants to know where I am, tell her I went to get Maggie a birthday present."

"Telling her that you're her dad will be all the present she needs."

Goren just smiled and started toward the elevators. "Hey—" Logan called to him. "Is that what you're really doing or will I be lying to her?"

"No, I really am getting her present."

Logan waved at him, then opened his drawer and pulled out the rest of his paper clips.

* * *

When she woke up the next morning to get ready for work, Eames was surprised to find Goren sitting at the table talking to John with Maggie in his lap, eating pieces of waffle and syrup with her fingers. "Hi, Mommy!" 

She rested a hand on his shoulder and leaned over to kiss Maggie good morning on her temple, where there was no syrup. Then she kissed him. "What are you doing here so early?" she asked as she rounded the table, kissed her father and went into the kitchen for coffee.

"We have the day off."

"Since when?"

"Since I talked to Deakins yesterday."

"And you couldn't tell me last night so I didn't get up with the sun?"

"I wanted to get an early start and this was an easier way to get you up early." _Not as fun,_ he mused silently. _But easier._

She looked at him from the kitchen doorway. "An early start for what?"

"You'll see."

"So you let me get up at sunrise when I didn't have to and you won't even tell me why?"

"That about covers it."

"You owe me, Goren."

He smiled. "Fine." He nuzzled Maggie's neck, making her giggle. Her plate was empty. "Let's get you cleaned up and dressed, mouse. We're going for a car ride."

"Where?"

"That's a surprise."

"Can I sit inna front?"

"Can you ever sit in the front?"

She pretended to pout. "On'y inna driveway."

"Okay, then." He set her on the floor and started to get up, but Eames' hand on his shoulder forced him back into his chair. "I'll get her ready," she hissed into his ear, gently nuzzling his earlobe with her nose. "You think about how you're going to make this up to me."

"Oh, I have an idea."

She gave him a half-smile. "Think about it."

"Eames..."

"What's fair is fair."

She hurried off to the bedroom before Maggie decided to find her own clothes. Last time she did that it had taken her the better part of an hour to get everything put back away. Goren watched her go and softly sighed. _Think about it._ Now he would, dammit...

John smiled at him. "She's a pistol, that one. More than any of her brothers. She could hold her own with every one of them, and with all of them together. I have only seen her meet her match once."

"Oh? She ran into a gorilla?"

"No. A bear." He raised his eyebrows and John laughed. "I meant you, son. You give my girl a run for her money, and I love that you can." He leaned forward. "Take some unsolicited advice from an old man who only wants to see the two of you happy?"

"Go ahead."

"Take however much time you need, Bobby, but marry that girl. She's stubborn, and whether she will ever admit it or not, she needs you. She's given you a beautiful daughter and another baby on the way. She'll never belong to anyone else...not the way she has always belonged to you." He reached across the table and patted Bobby's arm. "Drive carefully and I'll see you Sunday afternoon."

"Are you driving up alone?"

"No. Your friends Mike and Carolyn convinced me to go with them. Well, Mike did. Seems he doesn't want to end up in Canada."

"Yeah, well, he's a little challenged when it comes to following a road map. I trust Carolyn to keep him on the right road, but who knows. He doesn't like being told what to do, and she loves to tell him what to do."

John laughed and went into the kitchen. Goren got up and walked back to the bedroom. He knocked softly and opened the door. Fully dressed, Maggie was standing in front of her mother, who was topless except for her bra, holding her shirt in her hand. Maggie was gently gliding her little hand over the small swell in Alex's lower abdomen. "Is there a real baby in there, Mommy?"

"Yes."

"An' he's got a real daddy?"

"Yes"

"Not like me?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don' like Daddy and now he goed away, like I wanted, and I got no daddy."

Eames looked up and saw Goren in the doorway. She met his eyes. He shook his head. It wasn't the time. He had this all worked out. Not quite what he was going to say, but where he wanted to say it. Maggie turned her head and looked at him. She smiled. "It's okay. I got Uncle Bobby. I on'y need him and you."

She ran to him and he picked her up as Eames pulled on her shirt. She came over to his side and leaned up to kiss his cheek, whispering into his ear, "It'll be fine."

He gently squeezed her side and turned his attention to his little daughter. "So, do you want to go away for the weekend with Mommy and me?"

"The whole weekend?"

"Yes."

"Even my birthday?"

"Yes."

"But how will Grandpa and Uncle Mike find me?"

"I gave them directions. We might have to go up to Lake Erie to find Uncle Mike, though."

"Where?"

He laughed and kissed her. "Never mind. Uncle Mike will be there for your birthday. He wouldn't miss it any more than I would. So are you ready to go?"

"Yes!"

"Okay, let's go."

"Did you know my baby's daddy put him in Mommy's tummy?"

He kissed her. "We'll talk about it later, okay, mouse?"

"Okay."

He set her down and watched her run to tell her grandfather good-bye and make sure he knew where to find her on Sunday, when she would turn three. Eames slipped her arm around his waist and squeezed. "Still nervous?" she asked.

"You have no idea," he replied.

Fifteen minutes later, he was turning out of the development. Eames made him promise to drive like a reasonable person and Maggie was singing _Der Frohliche Wandersmann_ as she drank root beer from her sippy cup. "I still swear I'm going to smack you for teaching her that, Goren."

He laughed and held his hand out toward her. She interlaced her fingers with his and smiled when he kissed her hand.


	4. You Can Call Me Daddy

"So, where are we heading?" Eames asked as he headed away from the city.

"We're just going away for a few days, that's all."

"And what do we plan on wearing since we didn't pack any bags?"

She saw his smile and smacked him. "I am _not_ running around anywhere with no clothes on, Goren!"

He laughed. "A man can dream, can't he? Don't worry about it. I packed a suitcase for you and for Maggie."

"Oh, this should be good. I'm afraid to ask what you packed."

"If you need anything I didn't bring, just let your dad know and he can bring it up on Sunday."

"How long are we going to be gone?"

"Just til Wednesday."

"And work?"

"We wrapped up our last case and Deakins said 'Go.' So I made the arrangements and wanted to surprise you."

"Bobby, you surprise me every day. I guess you made arrangements for Sunday."

"Of course. Since your sister is having the family together next week for Maggie's birthday, I thought a quiet day would be nice."

"Who's coming besides Dad?"

"Logan and Barek and the captain and his wife. Lewis had to go out of town, but he'll be at your sister's next week."

"So where are we going?"

He just smiled and changed lanes.

* * *

"Connecticut?" Eames asked as they crossed the state border. "Welcome to Connecticut?" 

"It's a nice state."

"So is Montana but I don't see us going there for Maggie's birthday."

"We can..."

"Don't even think about it, Goren. Why Connecticut? What's wrong with New York?"

"The place we're going is in Connecticut. I couldn't quite manage to get it moved to Manhattan."

"But you would have if it were possible."

"I don't know, Alex. I kind of like it where it is."

"You want to tell me what _it_ is?"

"Not yet." He smiled. "But nice try."

"Can't blame a girl for trying."

He laughed quietly and looked in the rearview mirror at Maggie, who was kicking her feet against the seat and watching the scenery. "What do you think, mouse?"

"I think we're inna car."

He laughed. "Mommy wants to know where we're going. What about you?"

"I'll see it when we get there, Uncle Bobby."

He looked at Eames who replied, "_I_ still want to know."

"When we get there," he responded. She poked him and he laughed. But he still wouldn't let her know where they were going.

Finally, he pulled into a long driveway that led to a beachfront cabin and parked the car. "What's that water, Uncle Bobby?"

"The Atlantic Ocean." It was actually Long Island Sound, but Maggie knew what the ocean was and that was close enough.

"That's the ocean?" There was awe in her voice. "It's so big! It doesn' look so big inna books."

"Nothing ever does it justice but seeing it with your own eyes."

"My eyes like it, but they can' see alla it."

He reached over the seat and unbuckled her from her carseat. She scrambled into the front seat between them and looked at the ocean through the windshield. "Can we touch it?"

"Sure. Let's go inside for a minute and then we'll go down and touch the ocean."

He slid out of the car and watched Maggie scramble down and run for the house. He looked at Eames, who was watching the waves roll in. "Surprise," he said softly."Welcome to Hawk's Nest."

"How did you do this?"

"Lewis' parents own it. They were happy to let us borrow it for a few days."

He leaned forward to look at her face, and he was rewarded by her smile and a soft, loving kiss. "You wanted to tell her here?"

"I wanted to tell her someplace special."

"You could have told her anywhere, you know."

"I want to do this my way."

"I know. I'm not complaining. It's beautiful here." She gently slid her arm around his waist and squeezed. "Quit worrying. Please. This can't go wrong on you, Bobby."

Before he could argue, Maggie called from the porch. "Uncle Bobby! Mommy! The ocean is even bigger from here! Come'n see!"

Eames looked up at him, watching his face as he looked toward the porch and the delighted little girl who was bouncing around on it. No, there was no way this could go wrong. He was going to make her the happiest little girl on the planet by telling her something she had felt in her heart all her life. All she needed now was to be told that it was true.

* * *

Maggie ran ahead of them on the beach, alternating between chasing seagulls and playing tag with the waves. Eames carried Maggie's bucket in one hand and held Goren's hand with the other. For his part, he was engrossed in watching his little daughter play with the sea. 

When she came across a sea shell, she would squat in front of it and pick it up, turning it over in her hands as she carefully brushed away the sand. If it met with her approval, she would run to her mother and carefully place it in her bucket before taking off again. If not, she would gently return it to its place in the sand and run off toward the waves.

When she came across a clump of seaweed, she picked it up and carried it to Goren. "What's this, Uncle Bobby?"

"It's called sargassum. It's seaweed that comes from a different place in the ocean called the Sargasso Sea."

"Will you take me there?"

"It's not really a place you can visit, mouse. It's in the middle of the North Atlantic. In the ocean."

"Oh. What if I wanted to go someplace else?"

"I'll take you anywhere you want to go, if I can."

She giggled and ran off to place the seaweed back in the sand. Eames looked up at him as he watched Maggie playing tag with the waves and the seagulls. She lightly stroked his arm and he looked at her. With a smile, she asked, "Do you like the ocean?"

He nodded. "I like the water. Ocean, bay, river, lake...it doesn't matter."

"The ocean reminds me of you."

"Oh? How so?"

"It's restless, but constant. Predictable, but not. Dependable, but always changing. And the ocean is vital for life..."

When she trailed off and said no more, he asked, "Is that how you see me?"

"Yes."

He looked thoughtful. "You're like the ocean, too."

"How's that?"

"Stormy, but beautiful...and you pack a hell of a punch."

She laughed, squeezing his hand and resting her head against his arm. He looked toward Maggie to make sure she was all right, then pulled Eames into his arms and kissed her.

* * *

The sun was setting as they sat on the beach, watching the churning surf. Maggie sat in front of Goren, digging in the sand with a small plastic shovel. Eames was looking through Maggie's collection of shells. Goren reached forward, gently fingering Maggie's shoulder-length curls. Alex's mother and brothers had curly hair, which had given him an easy explanation for where she got hers, but now he realized it was more likely that she got it from him. Twisting around, she looked at him with dark eyes that were like his own, and she smiled. The smile she got from her mother. 

He gently tickled her and she giggled and jumped into his arms. He hugged her for a long moment before setting her in his lap. "I want to talk to you for a minute, mouse."

He glanced at Eames, who silently nodded and slipped her hand along his back, encouraging him. Maggie tossed her shovel into the hole she'd dug and said, "Okay."

He wasn't quite sure how to start, so he paused for a moment. Finally, his voice subdued, he said, "Your father went away."

She nodded. "I wished he would and he did."

"Are you glad?"

She nodded. "I didn' like him."

That was a general consensus. He tightened his arm around her waist and went on. "I, uh, I found out about your wishing star, baby."

Her eyes got big. "You know about my wishy star?"

"I do."

"Do you know what I wish for?"

He nodded. "Yes, I do."

Now she frowned. "You telled me you couldn' fix it."

"Because I really didn't think I could. But...do you remember when Mommy and I took you to get your blood drawn?"

She nodded. "It hurted but you getted me ice cream because I was a big girl."

He laughed softly. "Right. Well, they did some tests, and they found out that he...is not your father."

She let that sink in for a moment, looking toward the ocean with a frown. Finally, she looked back at him. "So I really don' have a daddy now?"

"I didn't say that. I said he's not your daddy."

Her eyes brightened and she asked hopefully, "Do I getta pick a new daddy?"

"I'm afraid not, mouse. You're kinda stuck with the man who is your real daddy."

She pouted. "What if I don' like him?"

He just shrugged. "You want to know who he is before you decide you don't like him?"

She crossed her arms stubbornly. "I on'y want you to be my daddy."

"So you wouldn't be too upset then if I told you that I was?"

She shifted on his lap, still pouting, as the words sank in. She looked up suddenly. "You are?"

"I am."

"You really are my daddy?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"F'rever? Nobody will take you away?"

"Not a chance. This is forever."

With a squeal of pure joy, she jumped up and threw her little arms around his neck, squeezing as tightly as she could. "I knowed you could fix it," she whispered, confident in her perception of his ability to make anything right. Then, after a moment, she softly asked, "I can call you Daddy?"

"Yes, mouse," he replied. "You can call me Daddy."

He couldn't tell if she was laughing or crying, but it really didn't matter. She was happier than he had ever seen her. He looked at Eames, whose eyes were bright with happy tears. As she settled down, Maggie still held on to his neck, refusing to loosen her grip and he was content to hold her. And then he heard her voice, barely a whisper, say, "Thank you, wishy star."

As they headed back toward the cabin, Maggie walking between them and holding their hands, she said, "Do you think if I ast my wishy star, I would get a puppy?"


	5. How Did You Do It?

"Okay, mouse, get ready," he said with a smile as she sat in the sand about ten feet from where he knelt on one knee.

She held her arms together, stretched out in front of her. "Okay, Daddy," she replied with a big smile.

He returned her smile. He enjoyed hearing her say it as much as she enjoyed saying it. Nothing in his life had ever made him feel the way he felt when Maggie called him daddy. He tossed the ball in his hand to her, gently lofting it in the air so that it came to rest in the middle of her outstretched arms. Before bending her arms in quickly to trap it, she hyperextended her elbows and sent it popping away from her into the sand. She giggled, "That ball don' wanna stay in my arms!"

He laughed. "Don't snap your arms before you bring them in."

She looked at her arms, puzzled. "I didn' heard 'em snap."

"Come over here."

She jumped up and ran to him. He stretched her arms out in front of her. Pushing up on her elbows, he demonstrated what he meant to her. "See? When you do that, you snap the ball up and it pops away from you. Let's try again."

On the next toss she drew her arms in a little too soon and the ball popped up off her hands and bounced off her forehead. "I didn' snap 'em."

Laughing, he motioned her to him. "You did the opposite this time. You brought your arms in too soon and bounced the ball up to bop you in the face."

He gently tapped her nose and she laughed again, throwing herself into his arms with enough force to knock him over.

Eames came out of the cabin onto the wide deck, smiling at the sight of Maggie tackling her father. _Her_ _father_. She loved the thought of Bobby being Maggie's father, and her hand strayed unconsciously over her lower abdomen. Once she had thought she was happy; now she _knew_ she was. She called to them, to her _family_. "Dinner's ready."

Goren got gracefully to his feet and lifted the little girl into his arms. Retrieving the ball, he carried her toward the cabin. She cuddled herself against his chest and said, "What did Mommy make for dinner?"

"Hot dogs and macaroni and cheese, I think."

"What are we gonna have for my birthday t'morrow?"

"Well, what do you want?"

"Can we have what we al'ays have?"

He had always been included in the family celebration of her birthday, which he had always appreciated. But the night after her birthday, he would always take her home with him and they would have a quiet dinner of spaghetti with cupcakes for dessert. Then he would give her a special present he had for her. Every year he gave her two books. The first one was an age-appropriate book he would read to her and she could take to Grandpa's and keep there. For her first birthday it had been Dr. Seuss' _Green_ _Eggs_ _and_ _Ham, _which she still loved. Last year, he had given her Margaret Wise Brown's _Goodnight_, _Moon_. The other book was always a classic, bound in leather with her name embossed on the cover. Those he kept at his place, on a shelf she had easy access to. When she stayed with him, he would read that second book to her over the course of the year until her next birthday. First he would read a fun book, and then he would settle her down and read from the classic until she went to sleep. She never cared what he read, just that he did, and as long as Eames did not object, he was going to expose Maggie to great books right from the start. For her first birthday, he had given her Louisa May Alcott's _Little_ _Women_. Last year it had been Robert Louis Stevenson's _Treasure_ _Island_. With a smile he recalled Eames asking him why Maggie was running around acting like a pirate and asking if she could have a pegleg. The book had initiated weeks of pirate play, which she still loved. Now, he kissed her head and answered, "Of course we can, mouse."

"An' Mommy an' Uncle Mike an' Grandpa, too?"

"Is that what you want?"

"Yes."

"That's fine. Aunt Carolyn is coming with Uncle Mike and Grandpa, and Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Angie will be here, too."

She smiled broadly. "They's all my fav'rite peoples." Then she paused for a minute. "But I wan' jus' you at storytime."

"That sounds like something we can do. It's a date." She giggled. "What's so funny?"

She turned her face up to look at him, still smiling. "I got a date with my daddy."

He smiled back at her. "I guess you do."

She hugged him. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For fixin' it so you could be my daddy."

She wouldn't understand that he had always been her father; he just never knew it. He didn't fix anything. He just...lost control of himself once after a long night of drinking and teasing almost four years ago. The memory of the evening still affected him, so he really hadn't been surprised to learn what had come of it. The fact that Maggie had come of that, well, he couldn't regret it without regretting her, and he certainly didn't regret his little daughter. He gave her another kiss and simply said, "You're welcome, mouse."

It was the simplest answer, and the only one she would understand. He set her down on the steps leading up to the deck and watched her run to her mother. The smile of pure joy on Eames' face was priceless to him. Finally, she had the one thing she'd wanted most of all. She had a child she never had to say good-bye to. Okay, so she had to share Maggie with him. He didn't think that was too terrible a thing. After all, she could have told him to back off at any point, but she never did. Instead, she always drew him in, making him a permanent part of the baby's life. Without ever knowing it, she had saved him from himself through those actions.

Maggie was in the house by the time he got to the top step. He leaned his hip against the railing and watched Eames as she headed for the door after Maggie. The little swell in her lower abdomen, more prominent now with the snug shirt and shorts she was wearing, made his heart race. He could never look at it without being reminded of the little life beneath it and the fact that he had put it there.

She looked over her shoulder at him and smiled. He smiled back, and she disappeared through the door. With a content sigh, he crossed the deck and followed her into the cabin.

* * *

Maggie snuggled into his lap after dinner, bathed and in her pajamas, ready for bed. Beside him on the couch, Eames leaned against him and picked up the remote. Maggie wanted to watch _Muppet_ _Treasure_ _Island_, and Eames was puzzled to find out he had it in his bag. He promised to explain it...eventually. She made up her mind to get it out of him after Maggie went to bed. 

Before she could press 'play', though, Maggie said, "I got a question."

Goren tipped his head forward to look at her. "You do? Imagine that."

Eames laughed and poked his side. He gave her an easy smile that she loved to see on his face, a smile that had been missing for far too long. He looked back at Maggie. "What's your question, mouse?"

"Mommy said my baby's daddy putted him in her tummy."

"Right."

"Are you my baby's daddy, too?"

"Yes. I'm your baby's daddy, too."

She was quiet for so long, they thought the questioning was over and they were both relieved. Maggie had a tendency to ask difficult questions and she expected answers. He picked up the beer bottle from its coaster on the end table and took a drink while Eames went to press the 'play' button on the remote. Then Maggie said, "So how'd you get him in there, Daddy?"

He choked on his beer and Eames started laughing. Maggie looked at her parents, puzzled. It seemed a perfectly reasonable question to her and she expected an answer. Now Goren truly was at a loss and Eames was still laughing. She jumped out of his reach when he made a playful grab for her. He turned back to Maggie, who was waiting patiently. He sighed. Maggie's mind was always working and now she asked, "She didn' swallow him. I woulda seen _that_." She wrinkled her nose. "Peoples don' eat babies. I can' think-a how you did it."

He shifted uncomfortably and ignored Eames' laughter. But he still had no idea what to say. So Maggie went on, thinking out loud now. "It didn' happen when you kiss Mommy, 'cause you kiss me, too, an' I don' have a baby in me...do I?"

"No, no, you don't."

"You play with me alla time an'..."

"Maggie, Maggie...stop thinking, baby. Please. Uh, it's a little complicated, and I promise you, it's not anything you have to worry about. It's just, uh, a..." He looked to Eames for help but she just shrugged and looked for all the world like she was enjoying this way too much.

Maggie looked dissatisfied. "But you al'ays answer my questions, Daddy."

He ran a hand over his mouth and then through his hair in frustration. "You never asked me a question like this before."

"Is there a door or somethin' you put-a baby in? Why put him inside at all an' why can' you take him out so I can hold him?"

"He has to get bigger before he can come out, honey."

She frowned again. "If he's bigger, how does he get out?"

"He, uh, the doctor...the doctor takes him out when he's big enough."

"Oh. How big is big enough?"

"December, Maggie. In December he'll be big enough."

"That's a long time, Daddy. Will he hurt you, Mommy?"

"No, baby. Not any more than you did."

Her eyes got bright with sudden realization. "How did you put _me_ inside Mommy, Daddy? An' how long did I stay in her?"

"Thanks, Alex," he grumbled, listening to her snickering behind him, well out of his reach. He readjusted Maggie on his lap. "Nine months, mouse. That's how long you were there and how long the baby will stay, too." He knew he had to give her an answer she could accept or she'd be asking John or Mike..._oh_, _shit_...no, he had to handle this. He could just imagine Logan's reaction. Eames just laughed. Logan would never let him live it down. "It's just...a Mommy and Daddy thing, that's all. When you get older, it'll be easier to understand, but right now, uh...it's...just trust me on this one, all right? No one gets involved with this except Mommy and Daddy."

"So when I get big, I can pick a daddy for my own baby and ..."

"Sweetheart, please don't worry about that now. But yes, it'll all make sense when you're big."

"Like when I'm six?"

"Six is still too little. Wait until you're at least, uh, thirty-five..."

"That's a long time."

"Not really, it's not." He kissed her forehead. "Please stop thinking about it now and let's just watch your movie, can we?"

"Why are you sweaty, Daddy?"

Eames started laughing all over again and Goren frowned at her. "I'm just a little warm, mouse, that's all." He pulled her closer into the crook of his left arm. "Will you start the movie already, Eames?"

Eames pressed the 'play' button. He looked over at her and she smiled. Maggie also looked at her. "Why are you way over there, Mommy?"

"I was just going to get something to drink. Do you want a cup of juice, Maggie?"

"Yes, please. Apple juice."

"Bobby?"

"I think I need another drink," he muttered.

She laughed again as she disappeared into the kitchen.

* * *

She sat on the bed and waited for him while he put Maggie to bed. She had fallen asleep in his arms, as he'd expected she would. When he came into the room, he undressed quietly. She watched the muscles in his back flex as he slipped off his t-shirt. "So why did you happen to have that movie with you?" 

He didn't turn around. "Maggie likes it."

"There are others she likes more."

"When she's with me, she asks for that one."

"Why?"

"Probably because I read her the book."

"You read her _Treasure_ _Island_...oh...so _that's_ why she wants to play pirates every time she comes home from staying with you."

"Very good, Alex."

"Oh, come on, you can't be mad about what happened earlier."

"You mean about you leaving me hanging with her like you did? I'm so glad you found that so damn funny."

She snickered again, tried to stop when he looked at her, but failed. "I'm sorry."

"Like hell you are."

"Okay, I'm not. She thinks like you do, and I think it's only right for you to deal with her when she gets like that."

"You think I haven't over the last few years?"

"So she's asked you where babies come from?"

"No, that's a new one. It would have been nice if she'd made it a simple question. 'Where's the door?' How did she come up with that?"

"I told you, she's like you. And she would never have accepted the stork answer, anyway. She's smarter than that." She gave him a smile that was all mischief. "So exactly how _do_ babies get in there, Bobby?"

He studied her intently. "How soon we forget, Eames. Do you need me to remind you?"

She saw the smile play at the corners of his mouth and she knew she was forgiven. She tried to jump away from him, but it was a quick chase across the bed and then he fully refreshed her memory on just how babies got where they did.

* * *

**A/N: Hope this was worth the wait...the books I mentioned were credited to their authors, and _Muppet Treasure Island_ (along with its delightful characters) belongs to Henson Productions.**


	6. What's A Pig If It's Not A Pig?

Dinner was almost ready when Barek's car pulled into the driveway behind Deakins'. John slid out of the back seat and headed for the cabin as the door opened and Maggie came barreling out to greet them, with Eames behind her, stopping in the doorway. John lifted her into his arms and hugged her. "Happy birthday, sweetheart. How's my girl?"

"Good, Grandpa," she answered as she squeezed his neck.

Barek leaned over John's arm and kissed her."Happy birthday, honey."

"Thank you, Aunt Carolyn. Where's Uncle Mike?"

"He'll be over in a minute. He's getting something out of the car."

Logan slammed the trunk and came around the car with a large shopping bag, rubbing his head. Maggie frowned. "Did you bump your head, Uncle Mike?"

John took the bag as Maggie jumped into Logan's arms. "Kinda. How's my birthday girl?"

She squeezed his neck and kissed him. "I'm good. Guess what?"

"What?"

She leaned back to be certain they would all hear her. "Uncle Bobby's not my uncle."

"He's not?"

"No. He fixed it so he can be my daddy!"

"He did? How'd he do that?"

Eames was shaking her head at him. "No, don't..."

Too late. "Well...he putted me inside Mommy's tummy like he did my baby."

Logan put a monumental effort into keeping a straight face. "Really?"

Eames took her from him and said, "Let's go inside." To Maggie she whispered, "Not now, baby. You can explain it to Uncle Mike later."

"I can't wait," he muttered, still trying not to laugh.

They joined Jimmy and Angie Deakins in the living room, but Logan kept going, heading into the kitchen where Goren was finishing the spaghetti Maggie had asked for. He looked up when Logan entered the room. "It's about time you got here."

"Don't ask. Spaghetti?"

"It's what Maggie wants for dinner."

He nodded and leaned back against the counter. "So, I hear you fixed it."

"Fixed what?"

"Whatever you had to fix to be Maggie's daddy."

"Oh, that. What was I supposed to tell her? She thinks I fixed it and I can't explain that there was nothing to fix. She won't understand that. I don't want her thinking I didn't want to be her daddy, because that's not true."

"I keep telling you that you have been her daddy since day one."

"You know what I mean."

He shrugged and took the serving bowl of spaghetti Goren handed to him. "I can't wait to hear how you put her in Mommy's tummy, though."

"What?"

Logan laughed and headed for the dining table. Goren closed his eyes and swore softly. Something told him it was going to be a long night.

* * *

After dinner, Maggie opened her presents. From the Deakins, she got a baby doll with dark hair and eyes like hers, complete with clothes and accessories. Grandpa gave her a CD of bedtime songs, a new pair of jeans and a pink shirt she had asked him for, and she knew he would have a new toy for her when they went to Aunt Reggie's next week. He always did. Barek gave her a remote control police car and a DVD of _The Wizard of Oz_. From Logan she got a floppy bunny that would become her favorite bedtime buddy and an Elmo game. Her parents gave her a Thomas the Tank Engine railroad set she had been asking for. She took the last gift and climbed into Goren's lap with it. She knew it was her books, and she was excited to see what he got for her this year. The first book was Sandra Boynton's _Hippos Go Berserk_. The brown one with her name in gold on the front was Alexandre Dumas' _The Three Musketeers_.

Then they brought out the cake and settled around the living room, enjoying the relaxed evening and the delighted child who bounced around among them. The captain and his wife left before it got too late. John, Logan and Barek had planned to stay the night from the beginning. Barek was sitting in a chair near the coffee table, John sat in another chair directly opposite her, Goren and Eames were on the couch, and Logan stretched out on the floor near Barek's chair. Maggie was beginning to wind down. Settling herself on her mother's lap, she gently rubbed Eames' stomach. "Are you sure there's a baby in there, Mommy?"

"Yes, honey. I'm sure."

She got quiet and Goren groaned. He knew what that meant, and he sought out Eames' eyes. She shrugged. Maggie sighed. "I still don' get it."

"Don't get what, baby?" Logan asked.

"How Daddy got him in there and why he can' take him out so I can play with him."

Logan started laughing and Barek smacked him, carefully hiding her amusement. John looked away, so Bobby and Alex couldn't see his expression. He dearly loved every one of his grandchildren, but this one was special, and she always had been. Goren closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead and Eames hugged the little girl in her lap. Maggie sighed impatiently. "Daddy telled me I can unnerstan' when I'm thity-five, but I wanna unnerstan' now."

John smiled sympathetically, remembering having those talks with his own children. "They all ask sooner or later."

Goren looked at him. "Which one of your kids asked when they were three?"

John laughed. "None of them. But not even Alex had Maggie's...curiosity."

Eames gently nudged Goren. "Guess where she gets that?"

Maggie looked over the coffee table. "Do you know, Uncle Mike?"

"Know what, bunny?"

"How to put a baby inside a mommy?"

Goren looked over at Logan, a small smile on his face as he watched him trip over his tongue. "Well, Uncle Mike?"

Logan sighed and cleared his throat, starting over again. Like Goren, he didn't have it in him to lie to this child. "Sure I do, sweetheart."

"Did you ever put a baby in someone?"

"Uh, no." Barek made no effort to control her laughter. Logan frowned at her, then motioned for Maggie to come over to him. She slid from her mother's lap and settled on his stomach, and he asked, "What's wrong with Daddy's explanation?"

"He telled me it's a Mommy and Daddy thing. That doesn' tell me _how_."

"Oh." He laughed again. "Brought down by a three-year-old. I love it."

"So _you_ explain it to her, Mike," Barek insisted as she took a breath.

He looked at Eames who shook her head. "Don't look at me. I had to handle the 'Where did Grandma go when she died?' question. I deferred this one to her father."

Logan looked at him. "Lucky you."

Goren sighed heavily. "Hey, mouse, why don't you run and get your pajamas on?"

"You gonna read the Hippo book to me, Daddy?"

"Of course."

She got up from Logan's stomach and ran off. Goren turned to his friend. "If you have any bright ideas, let's hear 'em."

"Come on, man. I don't even have any kids. I'm not ready for this talk."

"You think I am?"

"Good grief!" Eames exclaimed. "Just tell her something age appropriate."

"I tried that, remember? You said she wouldn't go for the stork explanation. Now if I can find a door..."

"Stop it," she laughed as he playfully grabbed her shirt.

"A door?" Logan asked.

"Yeah. She wanted to know where the door is that I put the baby in."

He started laughing again. "That kid's gonna kill me. A door? How'd she come up with that one?"

Goren shrugged. "You got me."

Eames nestled into his arms. "I don't know what to tell her. Dad?"

"Sorry, honey. I can't help you much with this one. When you were six, you bought the stork story. All of you did until you were actually old enough to understand a more detailed explanation, and your mother handled that with you and Reggie."

"Great. What about you, Bobby?"

"No one ever explained it to me. I just found it out on my own."

"Same here," Logan said. "I'm glad Maggie doesn't have to wing it."

"I don't know about that," Barek teased. "With you two clowns clueless about what to say..."

Goren raised his eyebrows. "You want us to give her a biology lesson, Carolyn?"

"Us? Oh, no," Logan protested. "You even start in that direction, and I'm outta here. I know that kid. If you start telling her how it really works, she's gonna want to see a demonstration. I'm not even going there."

"I'd kill you."

"Yeah, there's that, too."

Maggie came bouncing back into the room in her pajamas. Goren smiled warmly at her. "Come here, mouse. Your shirt is on backwards."

"I couldn' do the buttons inna back, Daddy. So I turned 'em aroun'."

"That was a smart thing to do," he said as he lifted her onto his lap. "And these are called snaps, baby."

He slid her shirt off and turned it around, snapping the back up for her. She settled into his arms. "Like this?" she said, holding up her little hand and trying to snap her fingers. "Or like when we play ball?"

He laughed and hugged her. "It's the same word for all of them. It just means something different."

"How canna same word be somethin' diff'rent if it's-a same?"

"That's the way our language works. One word can mean different things, depending on how you use it."

"Why?"

"I don't know why. It's the way the English language developed."

"But it's stupid."

Leaning her head against his arm, Eames could feel Goren relax beside her, and she knew it was because he was relieved at the change in the line of questioning from their little girl. He was much more comfortable talking about languages than he was trying not to discuss sex with her.

"It is stupid, but that's the way it is."

"Ball..." Logan commented.

"Ball what, Uncle Mike?"

"Ball can mean more than one thing. So can cow, block, pig..."

Maggie turned confused eyes to her father. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yes, they can."

"And fish can be a noun or a verb..."

"A what?" Maggie asked.

"Mike?" Goren muttered. "Stop talking."

"I don' unnerstan'," Maggie said. "What else is a pig if it's not a pig?"

"A slob, or a cop..." Logan explained.

"I said _stop_ talking..." Goren warned.

"A _cop_? You mean a police...Like alla you?"

Goren sighed, giving Logan a dangerous look. "It's a term that's used like a bad name for police officers, Maggie."

"Did anyone ever call you a bad name like that?"

He nodded. "Lots of times. It's part of the job."

She frowned. "I don' like it."

"We don't either. But it's just a word. It doesn't matter."

"Yeah, sure," Logan grumbled. "Words don't hurt. Not at all. Ow! Hey!"

Barek had dropped _The Three Musketeers_ on his head. "Look at that, Mike. Words can hurt after all. Stop confusing her, unless _you_ want to explain it to her..."

"I was just helping him with ideas."

"Well, don't."

Eames reached over to the table and picked up _Hippos Go Berserk_, handing it to Goren. "Here, Bobby. Read to her."

Maggie tilted her head and looked at her mother. "But, Mommy. I don' unnerstan'..."

"No one really does, baby. It's one of those things that just is because it's the way the language works."

Maggie sighed heavily, a very familiar gesture of frustration. "Can we talk about it inna mornin'?"

Goren kissed her head. "Sure. We'll make a game out of it. You don't have to understand it to have fun with it."

"But I wanna unnerstan' it."

"We'll see what we can do."

She sighed again. "Okay, Daddy."

Once she was asleep, Goren carried her to bed. Then he came back into the living room. Logan was already on his feet. "I was trying to help," he protested.

"I'll give you to the count of five, Logan, and I'm already at three..."

Logan took off, out the back door, off the deck and down the beach. Goren didn't hesitate to take off after him. John got up from his chair, shaking his head and softly laughing. Eames and Barek were laughing as well. He hugged his daughter. "This is good to see," he said.

"What is?"

"Happiness, honey. When Maggie sat in my lap before, she told me now all she could think of to ask her wishy star for was a puppy."

"Don't even think about it, Dad. We can't handle a puppy right now. I gave Bobby the same warning. No puppy—not till she's older."

Barek had moved to the kitchen window. "I can't see them. You think Bobby's going to toss him in the surf?"

"Something tells me they'll both end up in the water, but yes, Bobby will be the one to do it."

"I don't think Mike will ever learn when to shut up."

John kissed his daughter again. "I'm about ready to turn in. These old bones aren't up for late nights like they used to be."

"What old bones?" Eames asked with a smile.

"The bones are old, Alex. But your daughter keeps the heart young."

She hugged her father. "She's good at that. Top of the stairs, last door on the right."

"Good night, girls."

They said good night and went out onto the deck. The night breeze was cool as it blew in off the water. Eames looked down the beach, but it dissolved into darkness before she could catch sight of Goren and Logan. "It was the 'pig' example that got him in trouble," she said.

Barek nodded. "He didn't mean to upset her, but that was what made Bobby mad."

"Do or say what you will and he can roll with the punches. But upset Maggie...that's asking for trouble."

"Mike doesn't ask for trouble. He begs for it."

They looked down the beach at the sound of voices and laughter. The two men approached the cabin, mounted the stairs and stepped onto the deck. They were both soaking wet. "Have a nice swim?" Eames asked.

"The water's nice," Goren replied. "Want to go out?"

"No, thanks. I'll take your word for it."

He moved closer to her, and she backed up. "Bobby, you're all wet. Go get changed."

"Oh, come on..."

"No. Now get changed."

Barek gave Logan a shove toward the cabin. "You, too, cowboy. You started all this."

"Hey, I'm the one who got tossed in the water..."

"You asked for it. He warned you."

Logan smiled. "I love watching that kid spin him in circles. I thought Alex was the only one who could do that."

On the other side of the deck, Eames had stopped fussing about his wet clothes. Pressed against his body, hands in his hair, she was lost in a deep kiss and the last thing on her mind was his wet clothes.

With a smile, Logan followed Barek into the house. He looked back in time to see Bobby's hand slide under her shirt. He flipped off the light over the deck and crossed the room toward the stairs. "I wonder if he's still looking for that door..."

_fin_


End file.
